SAMAN DANCE

The Saman dance is part of the art dance of the Gayo people of Aceh province in Sumatra. Boys and young men perform the Saman sitting on their heels or kneeling in tight rows. Each wears a black costume embroidered with colourful Gayo motifs symbolizing nature and noble values. The leader sits in the middle of the row and leads the singing of verses, mostly in the Gayo language. These offer guidance and can be religious, romantic or humorous in tone. Dancers clap their hands, slap their chests, thighs and the ground, click their fingers, and sway and twist their bodies and heads in time with the shifting rhythm – in unison or alternating with the moves of opposing dancers. These movements symbolize the daily lives of the Gayo people and their natural environment. The Saman is performed to celebrate national and religious holidays, cementing relationships between village groups who invite each other for performances.

Saman dance is very popular in Indonesia. This dance is quite difficult to study because the movement is very fast. This dance is also often dimaikan by dancers who wear hijab, because Aceh is a famous Moslem-dominated province.

Link                :http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/USL/00509
Posted by     : Vera Annisa